1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to surgical instruments and, more specifically, to surgical instruments having both a blunt and sharp tissue dissection capability.
2. Discussion of Related Art
During endoscopic surgical procedures, surgical instrumentation is inserted through a small incision or incisions to access a surgical site. Typically, during endoscopic surgical procedures tissue adjacent the surgical site must be dissected to accommodate the surgical instrumentation and provide space to facilitate manipulation of tissue being treated.
Depending on the type of tissue to be dissected, it is known to perform blunt tissue dissection (dissection of tissue along existing seams or natural planes), e.g., balloon dissection, and sharp dissection (cutting of seamless tissue), e.g., dissection with scissor-type dissectors, scalpels, etc.
In some procedures both blunt tissue dissectors and sharp tissue dissectors are required to define the space adjacent the surgical site. In these procedures, it is necessary to remove one dissector and insert a second dissector through the incision to perform the surgical procedure. This requirement of multiple instruments increases the time required to perform the procedure.
Accordingly, there is a continuing need for dissection instruments suitable for use during endoscopic procedures that reduce the time of the procedure and reduce the cost of such procedures.